Kosegarten's Cultural Legacy: Aesthetics, Religion, Literature, Art, and Music

Book excerpt: Ludwig Gotthard (Theobul) Kosegarten (1758-1818), whose books were burned by German nationalists in 1817, has for many years been seen as a pariah figure by German literary scholars. Only recently has his influence on cultural icons such as the composer Franz Schubert and the painter Caspar David Friedrich become more clearly defined. This companion volume to Lewis M. Holmes's Kosegarten: The Turbulent Life and Times of a Northern German Poet (Peter Lang, 2004) explores Kosegarten's contributions to aesthetics, theology, and literature, as well as the broad reception of his works by other writers, artists, and musicians. Extensive historical and cultural contextualization make Kosegarten's Cultural Legacy a valuable resource for university-level courses, especially in the areas of music, art, religion, and literature.